Zumba

So I thought I'd take a few minutes to tell you how I'm living up to one of my New Year's goals (it only took me until February to get started!). For a long time many people have tried to get me to go to Zumba. It's an exercise class where you dance non-stop for an hour straight doing some pretty intense cardio stuffs. I didn't think I would ever like it or be good at it, so I kept saying, "Eh, maybe one day," making tons of excuses for myself.

Well finally a girl in my ward convinced me to go. She told me that a bunch of girls in the ward like to go and it would be so fun if I came too, so I went for the first time Tuesday night. It was crazy intense!! I've never been so tired after a workout in my LIFE! The next morning I was beat. I could tell that I had worked my muscles and my body a lot more than they were used to (but because of Melaleuca's Access bars, I wasn't sore) and honestly, I was excited for the next time to go. The music is so upbeat and the instructor is one of those women you just can't help but stare at. She's had eight kids and is somewhere around 50 years old, but she looks like she's 25. She's in better shape than anyone I know and is, of course, disgustingly beautiful.

Last night was my second workout and today I can tell that my body is starting to acclimate to the intensity of the workouts. I'm not sore like I would be (thank you, Melaleuca!), but I can tell my muscles have WORKED! I love this feeling! I'm tired, but not overly so, and as long as I keep moving throughout the day, I'm fine.

I bought a scale and I'm going to weigh myself weekly to measure my progress. But the scale doesn't just do weight, it estimates body fat percentage, water weight percentage, and muscle percentage (you enter your height and age and it calculates all that based on what you weigh). So I have a journal and I'm going to weigh myself every Tuesday to see how I'm doing in all those categories. I'll write down my numbers so I can compare to previous weeks and make sure I'm doing things right and making real progress.

I'm trying to think of something I can do on my days off of Zumba (since it's only 3 times a week) that will keep my muscles loose (and will be less intense). I'm thinking of just doing some yoga because it's low intensity, but can still be a great workout if you put the effort into it. Plus it's just a relaxing way to spend my time which is exactly what I need.

So...yay Zumba. Yay getting fit. Yay following through on a New Year's goal.

Birth Control Question

Since this isn't something I necessarily want to blurt out openly for the whole world to read, I thought I'd pose the question on my blog so the few of you who read could maybe help me with a question I have about birth control. Be warned that I'm not shy in talking about my period, so if you'd rather not hear about it or if you don't think you could answer my question, then feel free to skip this post.

I am relatively new to "the pill". I took it for a couple months right before I got married to get rid of a huge ovarian cyst, I took it for about a year after I stopped nursing Lili, and I'm back on it again now that Moriah is born. Right after Lili was born, we just used the barrier method (mostly because I just procrastinated getting on the pill). I didn't have monthly periods until I completely weaned her from nursing which was when I started taking the pill. While on the pill that time, I was 100% regular. My periods/withdraw bleeds were completely predictable.

After Moriah was born, I started taking the pill about 6 weeks later. About two weeks into my first pack I started bleeding heavily. Like, scary heavy. I put a super tampon in an hour before church and 45 minutes later I was leaking EVERYWHERE (luckily I made it home before it got to my clothes) and there were larger blood clots. The days previous to this were SUPER light, like...panty-liner light. I called my doc and he said not to worry, it was probably just leftover from pregnancy. Okay, fine. No big deal.

I started my second pack two weeks ago and I've started my period again! In the middle of the pack! The withdraw bleed is supposed to happen during the last week of the pack when you're taking the sugar pills. So now I'm all worried that my body is ovulating on it's own and that the birth control actually isn't working and that I could get pregnant! I asked Artene about it and he said, "Could you be pregnant?" How the heck should I know? "Maybe you are miscarrying?" What?! He totally freaked me out with that one, though I know that wasn't his intention.

So my question to my dear devoted (or not so devoted?) readers is this: is this normal to bleed in the middle of the pack instead of withdraw bleeding during the last week? Could this birth control not be working and could I, in fact, get pregnant/be pregnant? I've googled it and I can't find any credible information (just forums and the like with anecdotal information) to help me out. So I'm opening it up to you. Ready...go!

My next step obviously is to call my doctor, but I just wanted to know what you all think first. :)

February 2012 Family Update

So life comes and goes faster than I can keep track of. I don't even remember the last time I did a family update, so if it was too recently, just forget about this post. :)

Artene is stressing out at work a little. Lately, people have been kind of jerky and it bugs him, especially when he's so tired. Moriah is past the colicky stage, but I think teething is starting, so...yeah, still no sleep for us. We get to bed about midnight and Artene is up a little before 6:30 to get ready for work and out the door by ten to 7. He works till 4 and goes to donate plasma Mondays and Thursdays after work. He doesn't need to go, but it's nice to have extra cash on hand whenever something comes up. He loves hanging out with friends (it's how he unwinds from work), so anytime he can, he tries to get together with them. He enjoys playing with (and talking about) his birthday present (the Mosin Nagant rifle I got him) with his friends and is itching to go out and shoot it some more. He still teaches in Elder's Quorum, though one of the counselors in the bishopric is moving soon, so I've been teasing him that maybe he'll be the one to replace him. Hah!!

I have been struggling to keep my head above water as I juggle school, church, and home responsibilities. I figured out I was taking 14 credits, not 12 like I thought, so I dropped one of my classes. I'm down to 12 credits (4 classes) and so far it's been a lot more manageable! I feel like I'm not rushing to finish my assignments just because they need to be done, but that I'm actually able to learn and grow from the things I get to study about. It's been great. Relief Society is wonderful. I love the sisters so much. I feel so blessed to be able to serve them and to serve with such wonderful sisters in the presidency. I enjoy planning the activities and getting to know the sisters. Tomorrow marks the start of one of my New Year's goals, getting in shape! A bunch of girls from my ward go to Zumba three times a week and I've decided I'm going to go with them. (Zumba is basically exercising with dancing instead of going to the gym.) Artene wants to start exercising, too, so we've been talking about going together either up to the indoor track on campus or just to the lounge here at the complex to do P90X or use the workout equipment they have. He's being very supportive of me going to Zumba because he wants me to feel good about myself. I love him.

Lili is LOVING preschool. She does so well there. Everyday she comes home and talks about a new friend that she's made and the new songs she's learned. It's been wonderful for her to have that structure and learning around other kids her age. She brings home pictures and projects that she's done and she is so proud of them. Our fridge is plastered with her artwork! She is a huge helper with Moriah and is starting to learn how to do things to take care of her on her own. She likes to help me cook and clean (well, do anything that I'm doing, really) and jumps at the chance to play with her friends. Whoever said terrible twos were terrible is a liar, though. The threes are much worse, I'm telling you. I long for twos back! She's in the throws of that stage where anytime I ask her to do anything, she refuses outright. Counting doesn't work, timeout doesn't work, taking away toys and books doesn't work, restricting snacks or other privileges doesn't work. It's SO STRESSFUL! I am working really hard on keeping calm when she does that, but it's seriously the hardest thing in the world. My parenting class has opened my eyes to a lot of things I would have never thought about (that would have caused many more headaches) and I'm really trying to do better, but she is so stubborn!

Moriah is the sweetest little thing ever! She smiles at everyone she sees, and she does it all the time! We're pretty much out of the colicky stage, thank goodness, but I think we're about to start teething. The other night she had a low-grade fever, a little bit of congestion, and was fussy all night long (we didn't sleep for more than 15 minutes at a time), the exact same way that Lili was when she was teething. Who needs sleep, though, right? (she said sarcastically) She is SO chunky. 16 1/2 pounds already, bigger than 95% of kiddos her age, following right in the footsteps of her big sister. Her clothes are mostly 3-6 months right now, but she's wearing a lot of 6-9 months already and her little jeans are 6-12 months. What can I say, we grow 'em chunky (and bald).

Thay about does it for our family this time around. Until next time!

Birthday Celebration

Artene and the girls spoiled me rotten for my birthday! Okay, not rotten, but it was a wonderful day! I got to sleep in till about 8:30 (which, anymore, is absolutely necessary) and had a bowl of cereal for breakfast while we planned out what we were going to do for the day. Mostly I just wanted to spend the day with my hunky hubby and my girls, so I got what I wanted! We ran a few errands (that have been put off for weeks) including Wal-mart where we finally replaced our cracking, chipping stoneware dinnerware with Corelleware!

We've been meaning to do it for ages, and as luck would have it, the IRS gave me a nice HUGE birthday present and we were able to buy a couple sets, plus some serving platters and serving bowls. It takes up 1/3 of the space our old dinnerware used to and the stuff is practically indestructible, so I'm excited. I can dress up the white with fancy foods, fancy napkins, fancy chargers...the possibilities are endless. Or...I could leave them as they are. Haha!

We left Wal-mart and went through a car wash, Lili's first one. It scared her a little, but with some reassurance, she started to enjoy it by the time we were done. This was long overdue and believe it or not, was a lot of fun. Artene took me to lunch at Gator Jack's here in town, one of my favorites, and we stuffed ourselves silly.

Instead of making me a cake (which Artene is quite capable of doing), I suggested we just go and pick up a cake at one of the grocery store bakeries (can you blame me? They're really good!), so we headed over to Broulim's and laid our eyes on a 1/4 sheet cake that was Snickers! It was too much cake for us, so we asked if they happened to have an 8 inch round one, which they did! Of course, it came out that it was for MY birthday, so the lady at the bakery made an embarrassing announcement over the intercom that it was my birthday.

We bought the cake, took the girls home for a nap, then sat down to order my REAL birthday present, The Zing (see previous post!). Since we got our tax returns that morning (thank you, Uncle Sam!), we ordered it and a few other little things to go with it. It should be here any day now, I'm so excited!

After the girls woke up, we dropped Lili off at a friend's house and took off to Idaho Falls to do some shopping. I'm really in need of dresses/skirts/Sunday clothes, so we hit up tons of stores in the mall, Target, then Ross. I came away with one measly skirt. I was a little bummed, but determined to have a good day. We picked up Panda Express for us and for our friends that watched Lili and headed back to Rexburg to finish off the night there having fun.

I got to spend a low-key day with my family which was exactly what I needed. I've been feeling totally overwhelmed since school started and I needed that break. I've finally started figuring out a routine to juggle all of my responsibilities and I think I'm going to survive the semester. Afterall, next week (or the week after, I can't remember) is mid-semester (already?!) so it will be over before I know it! Another birthday come, another birthday gone. Am I really 23 years old already? Some days I still feel like I'm 16, and other days I feel like I'm 35. Before I know it, I will be 35! Ahh! But anyway, life is good (which I will further expound upon in my next post).

Silhouette Update

So...I love my Silhouette. Except, I don't. It cuts wonderfully and would ordinarily be able to do everything I want it to. Except it has a MAJOR design flaw. Well, not the machine itself, but the blade, and if you're going to cut anything even remotely intricate, I suggest you pass the Silhouette by. Study the picture below as I tell you why. 

The machine cuts well and is very versatile. But as soon as you get into intricate details, your problems begin. The small, tiny pieces of paper (or vinyl, or whatever you're cutting) gets jammed inside the blade housing (the hole in the white cap on the bottom of the black housing unit is where the blade comes out). There is no way to remove the cap and clean it out. Do you know what Silhouette suggests? Blow hard and stick a needle in it to attempt to unclog it. Not only will you destroy the plastic on the housing, but it won't work. They'll send you a new blade if you want, but replacing the blade every month seems a bit extreme, even if they send it to you on their own dime. They will not accept for returns any machine that has been used, so you're out of luck the second you break it open to start your first project. (Luckily we bought it from a third party store that was willing to let us return it.)

Everything else about the Cameo I love. The software is incredibly easy to use, the image store is reasonably priced (they have regular free images for you to download as well), and the images it comes with are darling. That said, this major design flaw with the blade is not something I can overlook. I used my cameo for two projects and after a very short time, it started eating my paper because the blade was jammed and wasn't able to turn properly to complete its job. 

So, with that being said, the Cameo has been boxed up to make it's way back to its original owner (a scrapbooking store in Utah) and hopefully on to someone who can live with the poorly designed blade assembly.  Not long after we made the initial purchase of the Cameo, Artene found a better alternative. This machine has a blade assembly that is open and will not jam. It can house a myriad of blades and attachments. In fact, you can even use your own pens or pencils inside the housing and it will draw the design for you. It has three times the cutting power that the Cameo does, which allows it to cut even more materials including chipboard, balsa wood, crafting rubbers and more. It's called The Zing. 

Click here to go to the website.

After we get refunded for the Cameo and after we get our tax returns in (any day now!), we'll be able to get this machine. It's a little more than we planned, but we weren't counting on our tax returns, so it all works out. Plus, the cost of maintenance is much lower so overall, I think this machine will be the best bang for the buck. It also has an attachment for you to cut gum paste to decorate cakes with. Artene will probably hate me for having that. I'll just have to find people who want cake so I can play around with that (something I've always wanted to do, even before the idea of the machine entered the picture). We plan to order it soon, so I'll let you know what of think after I get to play around with it!

Happy Birthday to Me!

I have been wanting one of these for...well...ever. Okay, not forever, but it's been at least two years. Granted, the one you see below is the newest model that barely came out, but it's the same as the previous model, just cooler! With this year's tax returns (which should be here any day now!) we had plenty of extra to splurge a little for me. :D We found a great deal through a third-party store and it came last week! 

I needed to christen my new toy, so I looked through the designs it came with and found an adorable heart image (which will be used on the invitations to our February Relief Society activity). 

I'm waiting for my order of vinyl to get here (that I ordered from another third party site for MUCH cheaper!) that has like..10-ish different colors. I've got all these projects to do now that I actually have a way to complete them! Stay tuned for more!

Artene's Birthday

Artene turned 26! Ahhh! I can't believe how quickly that "scary" #30 is approaching for us! I threw him a little birthday bash (that was supposed to be a surprise, but Lili spilled the beans the night before!) themed after the game Portal. I didn't get very many pictures, unfortunately, not even of the AWESOME cake I made. It was homemade German chocolate cake with homemade coconut pecan frosting and was absolutely DELICIOUS! 

We played Pictionary:

I made a flubber recipe and named it Propulsion Gel (it's part of Portal). Everyone got a kick out of it.

Lili made a new friend! 

This is the only picture I got of the Portal-themed stuff! I can't believe I didn't take pictures of anything else! Repulsion gel (the gatorade), Propulsion gel (the flubber in the tupperware), tubes of Propulsion gel (the skittles), and companion cubes with candy inside. It was a lot of fun to put it all together, even though it ended up being a little lame because Artene knew! Ugh! 

Artene's birthday present was the Mosin Nagant (it's a gun) that I posted about with the Christmas pictures.

My birthday is coming up on Saturday, so it will be interesting to see what Artene does for me. I already got my birthday present, though!! Stay tuned for a post with pictures about what it is!